Double tentering machine



' ET AL 1,732,089

Oct. 15, 1929;

H. W. HONEYMAN, JR"

DOUBLE TEfiTERING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Nov. 23, 1928 INVENTORS fled/y W/b/nsyma/z A TTORNEYS.

El AL 1,732,089

DOUBLE TENTERING MACHINE Filed Ncv. 25, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TORJ' Oct. 15, 1929. H. w. HONEYMAN, JR.,'

Patented Oct. 15, 1929 warren STATES PATENT oFFieE HENRY VI. HONEYIVIAN, 3B AND JOHN J, HOEY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND DOUBLE TENTERING MACHINE Application filed. November 23, 1928. Serial No. 321,398.

This invention relates to an improved construction of tentering machine; and has for its object to provide a tentering machine which is arranged to operate on two different webs of cloth at the same time, said webs running in opposite directions thru the machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide a double tentering machine having three clip chains, the middle chain being so arranged that its parts which run in opposite directions will cooperate with the correspondingly moving parts of the other two chains to conduct the two webs in opposite directions thru the machine.

The invention further consists in the provision of means for laterally adjusting the entering end of each of the side rails relative to the middle rail, also to adjust the side rails bodily toward and from the middle rail to accommodate webs of different widths.

A still further object of the invention is to mount that part of the chain on the middle rail, at the entering end of the machine to run on an incline outwardly so that all of the necessary web stretching incline will not have to be on the swinging end of the side rail alone as by dividing this angle the weave of the fabric is not as likely to be drawn out of shape.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as. will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

-Fig. 1 is a plan of our improved double tentering machine.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the machine the two webs mounted in the machine and the adjusting mechanism for the side rails.

3 i a top view illustrating the two webs as traveling in opposite directions, both parts of the middle chain cooperating with the other side chains to conductthe two webs in opposite directions thru the machine.

Fig. i is an'enlarged sectional view of the central chain rail showing the two chains with their clips mounted thereon.

Fig. 5 is a detailed elevation showing the tenter chain with the clips mounted thereon. In the usual tentering machines for stretch ing textile fabrics, the chain is a very'material part of the expense of the machine construction and these chains are so mounted that only one-half of each chain is working at a time, the other half idly returning to the starting point, and it is found of advantage to utilize this return travel of the chain to assist in conducting another web of material thru the machine in the opposite direction; and to accomplish this in a simple and effective way, we have added a third rail to the machine thereby providing two separate webconducting passageways wherein three chains are employed, one part of the middle chain cooperating with'the chain on its adjacent side rail to conduct a web in one direction thru one passageway while the other part of the middle chain is arranged to cooperate with the chain on the other side rail to conduct a web in the opposite direction thru the other passageway thus obtaining the work of two machines with a saving of about onequarter of the expense in machine construction and one-half of the labor expense as the usual end attendants can by this construction .easily perform the double duty of watching both the feed of one web and the discharge of the other; and the following is a detailed description of the present embodiment of the invention and showing one arrangement of mechanism by which these advantageous results may be accomplished:

VVi'th reference to the drawings, 10 designates the frame of a tentering machine, and 11 designates-the middle rail which extends the length of the machine, and on each end of this rail is mounted a sprocket wheel 12 which drives the usual tenter clip chain 13 from the power shaft 14 thru belt 15, pulleys 16 and 17, shaft 18 and mitre gears 19 to drive the chain in the direction of the arrow, one part running forward on one side of the rail and the other part back on the other side of the rail in the guide grooves 9 in the rail. One part 47 of this chain groove 9 at the entrance end of therail extending back to the point 48 is preferably set on an outward incline causing the chain running therein to cooperate with the chain on the adj acent side rail to assist in stretching the entering web.

On one side of this middle chain rail is the side rail spaced from this middle rail the width of a web to be run, and this side rail 20 with the middle rail provides a passageway 21 thru which the web of material. is conducted in the direction of the arrow. A portion of the rail 22 at the entering end of this pasageway is pivoted as at 23 and is pro- Vided with a nut 24 engaging a screw 25, which screw is operated by a hand wheel 26 to swing this rail portion 22 towards or from the end of the middle rail to facilitate the gripping of the web by the clips on the chain and then assist the inclined portion 17 of the middle chain to spread the web in the direction of its width and hold the same in a stretched condition as it passes thru the machine.

The body portion 20 of this rail is also adapted to be moved laterally towards and from the middle rail by means of screws 27 which are rotated by the hand wheel 28 thru shaft 29 and gears 30 to determine the operating width of this side of the machine to accommodate webs of different widths.

On the opposite side of the middle rail 11 is the side rail 31 which performs the same function as rail 20 with the exception that on its end opposite to that of rail 20 the rail portion 32 is pivoted at 33 and is adapted to be swung thru action of the screw 34 towards and from the middle rail. 'On opposite ends of rail 20 are mounted the sprocket wheels 36 around which is led the sprocket chain 37, which sprockets are driven thru mitre gears 38 and on the rail 31 is mounted the sprocket wheels 39 which carry the chain 40 and are driven thru the mitre gears 41.

Each of these chains 13, 37 and 40 is constructed to carry spaced gripping clips 42 on its links, to grip the margin of the webs 13 and 44, respectively.

Suitable cam members 4L5, see Fig. 3, are arranged to engage the upwardly-extending portions 46 of the clips engaging each web and swing them to open position at one end to receive the edge of the web as the web enters the different passageways and a similar set of cams is arranged at the opposite ends of the passageways to again engage the clips and swing them to open posi tion to release the web and permit it to pass on to be wound into the required package.

In some instances the bolt holes 50 in the frame are slotted to permit the middle rail to be adjusted sideways if desired, so as to accommodate webs of unusually wide or unusually narrow widths.

By this improved construction of tentering machine the same is arranged to operate on two different webs at the same time of the middle chain but also the return movement of this chain to assist in feeding the second web in the opposite direction and by this construction we obtain double the production and save about. one-quarter of the cost of construction of two complete machines, also one-half the cost of the attendants and also the floor space for the operation of this double machine is greatly reduced over what would be required for two separate machines.

The foregoing description is directed sole- 1y towards the construction illustrated, but we desire it to be understood that we reserve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device is susceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A tentering machine having three spaced apart web engaging and conducting chains, including a middle chain having oppositely traveling parts cooperating with correspondingly traveling parts of each of the other two side chains to engage and conduct two webs in opposite directions thru the machine, and means for operatively connecting all of said chains to run in unison.

2. A tentering machine having a middle chain rail, a cooperating chain rail on each side of and spaced from said middle rail, a continuous tenter clip chain operatively mounted on each of said rails, that part of the chain on one side of the middle rail cooperating with the chain on its side rail to stretch and conduct a web of material in one direction and that part of the chain on the other side of the middle rail cooperating with the chain on its side rail to stretch and conduct another web of material in the opposite direction thru the machine.

8. A tentering machine having a middle chain rail, a cooperating chain rail on either side of and spaced from the middle rail providing two parallel web-traveling passageways, a continuous tenter clip chain on each rail, the corresponding chain parts in said passageways running in opposite directions whereby two webs of material may be fed simultaneously in opposite directions thru the machine, the opposite running parts of the middle chain each engaging a margin of said webs.

4. In a tentering machine as described in claim 2, means being provided for laterally adjusting the entering end of each side rail relative to the middle rail.

5. In a tentering machine as described in claim 3, means being provided for moving the side rails toward and from the middle rail to accommodate webs of different widths.

6. In a tentering machine, a frame, a middle chain rail on said frame, a cooperating chain rail on each side of and spaced from said middle rail providing two parallel web conducting passageways in said frame, a horizontally-disposed sprocket wheel supported in said frame at each end of each rail, an endless tenter clip chain on each rail driven thru said sprocket wheels, the two corresponding parts of the chain in the different passageways being arranged to travel in unison and in opposite directions to feed two webs thru the machine simultaneously in opposite directions, means for opening the clips at each entering end of each passageway to receive the web edges, means for opening said clips at the discharge ends of the passageways to release the webs, and means for adjusting each side rail relative to the middle rail to stretch the traveling web.

7. A. tentering machine having a middle chain rail, a cooperating chain rail on each side of and spaced from said middle rail, a continuous tenter clip chain operatively mounted on each of said rails, that part of the chain on one side of the middle rail cooperating with the chain on its side rail to stretch and conduct a web of material in one direction and that part of the chain on the other side of the middle rail cooperating with the chain on its side rail to stretch and conduct another web of material in the opposite direction thru the machine, a portion of the chain on the middle rail at the entering end of the rail being arranged to travel on an incline outwardly or away from the adjacent side chain to cooperate with the inclined portion of that. side chain to stretch the web.

8. A tentering machine having three spaced apart web engaging and conducting chains, including a middle chain having oppositely traveling parts cooperating with correspondingly traveling parts of each of the other two side chains to engage and conduct two webs in opposite directions thru the machine, a portion of both the middle chain and the cooperating side chain at the entering ends-of the machine being set to run on an angle to spread the web a predetermined amount upon entering the machine, and means for operatively connecting all of said chains to run in unison.

In testimony .whereof we afiix our signatures.

HENRY W'. HONEYMAN, JR. JOHN J. I-IOEY. 

